INVITATION to a Workshop on U.S. Forest Service Permitting

Come learn about recent U.S. Forest Service efforts to simplify the process for obtaining Forest Service (USFS) outfitter-guide permits! 

The USFS and the Coalition for Outdoor Access (COA), a diverse group of organizations dedicated to improving access to federal lands, will be co-hosting a public engagement workshop on the agency’s June 2016 guidance on the outfitter-guide permitting system. This guidance promises to provide new opportunities for facilitated access to Forest Service lands. 

The workshop will be held on Tuesday, on October, 31, 2017 from 8am-12pm at the Hotel Roanoke in Roanoke, VA. RSVP HERE. This workshop is part of the pre-conference sessions being held in conjunction with the annual conference for the Association of Outdoor Recreation and Education. It is free and open to anyone who is interested. 

During the workshop, representatives of COA and USFS will provide attendees with a briefing on the new guidance and engage attendees in a dialog on how the various aspects might relate to their program or activity. Workshop leaders will also share some of the success and challenges that have occurred over the past eighteen months of implementation. 

If you have an interest in providing guided recreation opportunities on the National Forests, this workshop will provide valuable insight on how to navigate the permitting process. 

If you would like to attend, click on the RSVP link above. Space is limited, so register now.

2017 Sanctioned Event of the Year Award Winner

The ACA is proud to present the Sanctioned Event of the Year Award for 2017 to the Penn Cup Slalom Series!  This award is presented to the top ACA sanctioned event as nominated by the paddling public!

The Penn Cup is a fall series of races designed to introduce paddlers to the sport of slalom racing. Races are held on Sundays, with Saturdays reserved for course construction, practice, and clinics. Clinics are taught by experienced racers -- including former series champions and some of the best paddlers in the state and in the US -- and serve to introduce beginners to the sport, and to help more experienced racers advance from the basics of running the gates to discovering and paddling the most efficient lines. Awards are presented at each race, and overall series awards (earned on a point system) are presented after the final race. There are many classes available at each race for open and decked boats, solo and tandem boats, racing boats, recreational boats, canoes, kayaks, stand-up paddleboards, juniors, cadets, and masters. The emphasis is on fun and learning, and so the races in this series make an excellent introduction to the sport. Courses are designed to be challenging to beginning-intermediate paddlers. Penn Cup Series is dedicated to building interest in slalom racing at the grassroots level. Some of our past participants have gone on to national, international, and Olympic teams in the sport. This event series has been ongoing for 40+ years, and has a strong youth slalom development program. This is the perfect example of local clubs and instructors working together to form a multi-location competition series that also places strong value on education and training.